This invention relates to an endoscope sleeve and, more particularly, to a sleeve for endoscopes used in surgical procedures which provides continuous suction and selective application of fluid to clean the endoscope window and also to clean or irrigate the operative field with a fine fluid spray.
Generally, endoscopes designed for surgery are adapted to be inserted in a body cavity, such as the nasal cavity, the pituitary cavity, the cranial cavity, or the middle ear. Surgical endoscopes are used to observe the condition of a body part within the cavity through a window at the distal end of the endoscope while surgical procedures are performed on that body part using instruments with elongated shafts and cutting tips inserted alongside the endoscope. Surgical endoscopes intended to be used with the sleeve of the present invention, like the 4 mm. sinus endoscopes available from Karl Storz and Smith and Nephew Richards, are to be distinguished from the much longer and thinner flexible endoscopes typically used only for examination and diagnostic purposes. Such surgical endoscopes should also be distinguished from laporoscopes used in laporoscopy where continuous pressure is typically required to keep the field inflated.
Currently, surgical endoscopes are provided with various devices for cleaning the surface of the distal window as it becomes soiled and fogged during the course of procedures conducted within the body cavity. These devices supply fluid and/or suction to the area of the distal window in various complex arrangements. The prior devices, however, are less than satisfactory in environments such as the nasal cavity, where the endoscope window is nearly continuously being soiled or fogged as surgical procedures are conducted. These prior art devices are often ineffective in quickly and effectively removing the fluids and tissue which accumulate on the endoscope window during the course of the surgical procedure. Such devices also typically do not supply continuous suction to the operative site, including when a window cleaning operation is underway, which is highly desirable.
It is essential to have a clear field in order to see the anatomy during the course of endoscopic surgical procedures. The nasal cavity, for example, is a particularly difficult environment because of the substantial mucus flow produced there and the requirement that a clear operative field be maintained. For example, when it is not possible to see through the endoscope, there is a danger that a continuously active suction port will touch surrounding nasal tissue, pulling it into the suction conduit, causing tissue damage and clogging the port.
Prior devices which do supply fluid for cleaning the endoscope window but do not carefully control the directionality of this fluid are problematic. These prior devices can project the fluid directly onto certain particularly sensitive surfaces within a cavity, such as a cranial cavity or an eye orbit damaging tissue in the cavity. Also, prior devices that do supply fluid for cleaning the endoscope window are often erratic in the amount of fluid delivered. This results in ineffective cleaning of the endoscope window.
Finally, many prior surgical endoscope sleeves are bulky and tend to impede the effective use of the surgical instruments used alongside the endoscope sleeve combination in the close quarters encountered, for example, in the nasal cavity, the pituitary cavity, the cranial cavity, or the middle ear. Such bulky surgical endoscope sleeves tend to prevent or impair proper alignment of instruments with the endoscope.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an endoscope sleeve that can be easily adapted for use with different endoscopes for providing selective and effective cleaning and defogging of the endoscope window, and irrigation and suction to operative sites where the device is being used.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope sleeve that irrigates the operative field with a fluid spray.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope sleeve that provides continuous suction to clear away debris, smoke, etc. produced in the cavity during the course of surgical procedures.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an endoscope sleeve that does not interfere with the entry, manipulation or alignment of instruments used in operative procedures under guidance of the endoscope.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope sleeve that is particularly useful in endoscopic sinus surgery and in endoscopic pituitary surgery.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and claims which follow.